what are the numbers on a course handycap rating?

by Hazel Schamberger 7 min read

Course Handicap = Handicap Index x Slope Rating / 113 Doing the calculation of course handicap will help golfers to understand what their handicap is at any golf course. If you are used to playing as a six handicap, going to a golf course with a higher slop rating may make you an 8 or 9 handicap.

Your Course Handicap represents the exact number of strokes to subtract (or add if you have a plus handicap) from your final gross score for the course and set of tees you are playing, and is always expressed as a whole number (e.g. 12).Apr 10, 2019

Full Answer

What is a course handicap number?

Jan 01, 2020 · The USGA provides a formula with which you first can calculate a number that is the same no matter what course you play. This number is your WHS "Index." Using this Index, you can calculate a second number - your golf "Course Handicap" - for any specific course and tee. Course Handicap = Handicap Index x Slope Rating / 113 + (Course Rating - Par)

How do course rating and slope rating affect handicap?

The formula is: 14.6 x 127 / 113. The answer to this example is 16.4. Player A's course handicap is therefore 16 (round up or down). Did you catch the adjustment made? Because the slope of the course in this example is higher than the average slope of 113 (meaning this course is more difficult than the average course), Player A gets extra strokes.

What is the slope number on my handicap?

Feb 08, 2022 · Course Handicap is calculated by dividing Slope Rating by 113 and multiplying by Handicap Index. What is the Average Course Rating? There’s not really such a thing as an average Course Rating but there is an average, or standard, Slope Rating – the difference between Course Rating and Bogey Rating multiplied by a predetermined value – The average or standard Slope …

What is a plus course handicap?

A. A Course Rating represents the score a scratch player, with a Handicap Index® of 0.0, should achieve on a golf course under normal course and weather conditions. For example, a Course Rating of 71.8 would equate to a scratch player’s expected score of 72 on a good round.

What is Course handicap number?

A. A Course Handicap represents the number of strokes needed to play to par of the tees being played. This is the number used to adjust hole scores for net double bogey or net par.

What does the Course Rating number mean?

Course Rating indicates the difficulty of a course for a “par” or scratch golfer. For example, if a course has a par of 72, the Course Rating might be 71.4. This is the score the scratch golfer is expected to shoot on the course. The number goes up with the difficulty of the course.Aug 13, 2015

How do you read a Course Rating?

The Course Rating is calculated from the effective playing length and obstacle factors for 9 or 18 designated holes. The Course Rating is expressed in strokes to one decimal point and represents the expected score for a scratch player. The Bogey Rating represents the expected score for a bogey player.

How do you read a Course handicap?

Handicap differential = (Adjusted Gross Score-rating of the course) X 113 / Course slope ratings. The course rating is simply the scores of a new golfer on a normal course under a normal playing condition. Slope rating is the rating of 113 for a course based on the standard difficulty.

What is the average course rating?

113There is a separate slope rating for each of the different tee boxes on the course. The average slope rating of a golf course is typically 113. If the slope of a golf course is less than 113, the course is easier than the average golf course.

What is the handicap index?

A handicap index is a number taken to one decimal point (12.7) that indicates a golfer's skill level. Here's the official explanation from the USGA Handicap System Manual: “A Handicap Index compares a player's scoring ability to the scoring ability of a scratch golfer on a course of standard difficulty.Oct 11, 2017

How do you read slope and course ratings?

Slope rating (a term trademarked by the United States Golf Association) is a measurement of the difficulty of a golf course for bogey golfers relative to the course rating. Course rating tells scratch golfers how difficult the golf course will be; slope rating tells bogey golfers how difficult it will be.Mar 31, 2022

How do I calculate my handicap index?

When less than 20 scores are in your scoring record, a fewer number of scores are used to calculate your Handicap Index. Once you have 20 scores in your scoring record, your Handicap Index is calculated by first averaging the best 8 Score Differentials™ out of your most recent 20 scores.

How do you read a golf score card?

0:062:38How to Read a Golf Scorecard - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipIn means the back nine the total is it would be your total score for the two 18s two nines then anyMoreIn means the back nine the total is it would be your total score for the two 18s two nines then any handicap that you have subtracted from your total would be the net.

How do I calculate my 2020 course handicap?

USGA Handicap System (pre-2020)U: A Course Handicap represents the number of strokes a player receives in relation to the UCourse RatingU of the tees being played. The formula is: Course Handicap = Handicap Index x Slope Rating / 113.

What is the difference between handicap index and course handicap?

A Course Handicap is about YOU playing a specific set of tees. Why is the distinction important? We'll spare you the complicated formulas, but a Handicap Index reflects your potential ability (what you should shoot about one out of four or five rounds) based on your scoring record at the time it is updated.Mar 20, 2015

How do you calculate a golf handicap score?

Now that you have your handicap, you can use it to calculate your net score next time you go golfing. To do this, you need to find your course handicap, which is your handicap multiplied by the course's slope rating then divided by 113. Then, your net score is simply your score minus your course handicap.

What is a handicap on a golf course?

Course handicap tells you the number of handicap strokes you receive during your round at this course and from these tees. You use those handicap strokes during the round to convert your gross score into a net score . In match play, that means applying those handicap strokes on the appropriate holes. If your course handicap is 4, you get one ...

What is the slope rating of a golf course?

You'll need your handicap index and the slope rating of the golf course you're planning to play. A slope rating of 113 is considered average by the USGA, and 113 is used in the equation as a control. The course handicap formula is this: Your Handicap Index multiplied by Slope Rating of Tees Played divided by 113.

What is a USGA handicap?

USGA Course Handicap, usually shortened to just "course handicap," is a number that indicates how many handicap strokes a golfer receives at the specific golf course (and specific set of tees) being played. You can think of course handicap as an adjustment to a golfer's handicap index to take into account how easy or difficult ...

What the Course Rating Number Means, What It is Used For, How It is Calculated

How difficult is a golf course for a scratch golfer? That's what Course Rating, part of the USGA Handicap System, attempts to measure. Glow Images, Inc/Glow/Getty Images

Course Ratings Are Used Outside the USGA's Territory, Too

Course rating systems are in use around the world by many different golf authorities. For example, in the United Kingdom and Ireland, the handicapping authority known as CONGU issues "Standard Scratch Scores" as a degree-of-difficulty rating for golf courses.

How Is Course Rating Calculated?

Golf courses that participate in the USGA Handicap System are rated for each set of tees at their course (front tees, middle tees and back tees, for example). At least a few of a course's tees should be rated separately for men and for women, because men and women will post different scores playing from the same set of tees.

How Course Rating Is Used in the USGA Handicap System

Rating golf courses is the key to the whole handicap system, the USGA says :

How to Find a Golf Course's USGA Course Rating

Every golf course that has a USGA Course Rating should include those ratings on its scorecard. If it doesn't, a golfer can:

What is handicap index?

The first is Handicap Index, which will be your handicap, decided from the eight best scores from your last 20 rounds. However, just because your Handicap Index is ‘X’, that doesn’t necessarily mean that you receive ‘X’ amount of shots when you play. The number of shots you receive in each round will be decided by your Course Handicap.

How to get your handicap on a golf course?

To get your Course Handicap, you must look at the conversion table on the 1st tee of each golf course you tee it up on. It will be your Handicap Index multiplied by the course’s Slope Rating divided by 113 – you don’t need to remember this as there will be an easy converter document on the 1st tee.

How to calculate handicap on a golf course?

To determine your course handicap, simply multiply your handicap by the slope and divide by 113. Here is the equation. Your course handicap: 9.2 x 126 / 113 = 10.2. Your friend's course handicap: 13.5 x 126 / 113 = 15. Because of the difficulty of the course, you are now giving up 5 strokes instead of 4.

How is course rating determined?

The course rating is primarily determined by the length of the course. Unlike the slope for a course, course rating is much easier to relate to because it is represented in strokes and is normally very close to par. For example a course could have a rating of 70.1. Course rating is determined by what a scratch golfer would shoot in ...

What is handicap in golf?

A golf handicap is a numerical measurement of your game over a recent period of time. It is much more than an average of strokes over/under par, but also considers the difficulty of the course, and furthermore, the difficulty of the tees your choose to play. Having a handicap allows you to measure yourself against other players.

What is a scratch handicap?

A high handicap index is considered a player of less skill and a handicap index closer to 0 is considered very good. A "scratch" golfer is one with a 0 handicap index.

How many rounds does a golfer need to play to get a handicap?

The USGA requires five rounds before calculating a golfer's handicap. MyGolfinstructor.com only requires a single round to help you get started as soon as possible. Your first round will show a course handicap of zero and your actual handicap index will become more accurate as you play more rounds.

What is net score in golf?

Net score is the number that you would use to compare to your partner's net score.

What does slope mean in golf?

In short, the slope of the course is a number that tells bogey golfers how much more difficult a set of tees should be for them than for a scratch golfer. For example, a course with many hazards may be much more difficult for a bogey golfer to avoid than a scatch golfer.

What is the slope number of a golf course?

The Slope number for a golf course actually tells you how difficult the golf course is for a bogey player (17.5 - 22.4 Handicap Index for a male golfer) compared to a scratch player. The higher the slope number, the harder the course is for the bogey golfer relative to the difficulty of the course for the scratch golfer. Slope numbers can range anywhere between 55 and 155 with the average slope in the United States being 120.

How are golf courses rated?

Golf courses are rated based on the measured length of the course from each set of tees. The measured length of a particular set of tees is taken from the permanent marker to the center of the green.

Why does the slope of a golf course change?

Course rating and slope ratings usually change because of the effective playing length of the golf course. Even though the changes might not seem significant, it is important to note that yardage is the predominant factor in calculating a course rating.

How many yards does a scratch golfer hit?

Amateur Championship. On average, he hits his tee shot 225 yards in the air with 25 yards of roll. His second shot travels 200 yards in the air with 20 yards of roll.

What is a scratch rating?

When your course is rated, a scratch rating and bogey rating are both determined from each set of tees. (The scratch rating is the same as the course rating).

What is the MGA course rating department?

The MGA Course Rating Department also provides clubs with a course measuring service as part of their membership. This service is available regardless of whether your course is new, existing, or if changes have been made.

Does the MGA assign handicap strokes?

The MGA does not assign handicap strokes to individual holes as a result of the course rating. The rating of your golf course will have no effect on which hole is more difficult nor does the individual handicap selection process affect your overall index.